


By the Light of the Moon - A Halloween Tale

by ColdAndBrokenHallelujah



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Dreams and Nightmares, Gen, Gender-Neutral Runner Five, Halloween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 13:15:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16326959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColdAndBrokenHallelujah/pseuds/ColdAndBrokenHallelujah
Summary: On a dark night, Sam has to face his worst fears. Where is Runner Five and what kind of monster is Sam dealing with? There's a chance that he might not survive or, if he does make it out in one piece, he might never be the same.





	By the Light of the Moon - A Halloween Tale

**Author's Note:**

> This is just for fun and, strictly, for Halloween. Its non-canon and takes place sometime in season one. It contains no spoilers and can be read no matter where you currently are in the app.

   The thing about zombies was that you could smell them long before you saw them. The runners were most familiar with that gruesome fact. Sometimes they would inform Sam that a horde was close before anything was visible on his cams. Now, the tables were turned and, he was painfully aware of the phenomenon. A large mass of zombies was trying to claw their way through the com shack door. Abel was overrun. He had lost contact with all of his runners several minutes ago. In a last ditch effort to save himself, Sam had barricaded the door. That all seemed pointless now. It had been a stupid idea. He could hear the wood straining against the weight of the undead mob. There was nothing to distract them from their intended target, him.

   He watched helplessly as the door finally started to give way, the wood breaking and zombies clawing their way towards him. For a moment all that was visible were bloody fingertips, worn down to bone from their efforts. Sam turned his back to the threat and started flipping the switches that controlled the headsets. He knew of only one Runner who was outside of the gates with their gear turned on. It was stupid to think that there would be an answer or some miraculous escape. Still, Sam was compelled to try.

   “Runner Five!” Sam called out frantically “Can you hear me? Are you near Abel? We are under attack!” The sounds of the zombies were getting louder and more frantic. “Five…… please…..” In desperation he screamed their name one more time. It was then that Sam realized that he could hear the echo of his own voice. One zombie had broken through and the sounds of their feet scraping along the floor was getting closer. Sam squeezed his eyes shut, taking a deep breath. He knew, without having to look, what he was about to face.

   He braced himself and opened his eyes slowly, raising them to look into the face of his former friend. All of his fears were confirmed in a rush. Five stood before him, a huge gaping wound on the side of their neck. Whatever had attacked them had been savage and the end had not come quickly. They were covered in defensive wounds and bruises. There were so many bite marks and deep scratches. If Sam didn’t know Five so well he may not have recognized the zombie at all.

   There was, however, one way that he knew for sure. Five always wore a certain shirt for luck when they knew a mission was going to be difficult. They were wearing it now, but it was covered in blood and badly torn. It wasn’t that long ago that they had bounded out of the gates, confident and strong. Five always came back. Everyone knew that and Sam hadn’t been overly worried. A wry smile crept across Sam’s face. It was no surprise to him that Five had fought until the end. He was, strangely, proud of them and now he braced himself to do the same. Quickly, Sam grabbed the axe that he kept hidden away under his desk. The world narrowed down to just him and Five. Their eyes were empty, devoid of everything he recognized. It didn’t make it easier. Sam knew it wasn’t Five, but the echo of the person was still there. Even when it groaned, he could still hear Five’s voice.

   “You’re not Five” Sam said calmly, as he raised his axe. The zombie lurched forward, its arms swinging wildly. Every movement was uncoordinated and clumsy. It was even more evidence that his Five was dead and what was left was just a monster. “You’re not Five” he said again, as if to steel himself against what he knew he had to do. The zombie moved closer and Sam knew that his moment was here. He rushed forward and swung the axe downward. It landed with a loud thunk deep in the zombies head. Sam tore the axe back out, hoping that it would be enough but soon realized that Five was just as unrelenting in death as they had been in life. Stumbling backward Sam looked for a way to swing his axe again but he was out of room and out of options. He screamed as the zombie rushed forward, tackling him around the middle…..

   Sam hit the floor, incredibly, hard. His chair had tipped backwards too, landing on top of him and partially trapping his legs. Cussing and scrambling Sam pushed the chair away and clawed his way to the other side of the room. He didn’t know where the zombie had gone or how he was even still alive. Sam let his eyes adjust to the light in the coms shack. Everything was quiet, all of his equipment turned off, and every Runner’s headset accounted for. He reached for one in particular, turning it over and checking the number scratched into the side. He ran his thumb over the mark, slowly tracing it and making sure that it was real. The headset itself was completely charged. This meant that it had been dropped off hours ago. Sam reached for his hooded sweatshirt, preparing to go outside in order to look for Five. He wouldn’t feel better until he saw them. Nobody had to know that he had been having nightmares again. Sam certainly wasn’t going to disclose that bit of information. Especially not to this particular runner.

   It was a cold night, but that was to be expected for October. Sam took a deep breath the cold air stinging his lungs a little bit. The sky was incredibly clear and it seemed like every single star was visible. The light from the full moon cast all of Abel in a strange grey glow. Sam shuffled down the stairs quickly and made his way across the township. Once he saw Five and knew that they were okay, Sam could rest easy again.

   Abel was quiet, but that was to be expected at this hour. Everyone was probably huddled in the rec room, watching whatever movie Janine had decided was good for morale or taught a valuable lesson. Last week it was Wall E. Apparently, they all needed to do a better job of picking up after themselves. Sam sighed heavily, his breath appearing like a cloud in front of him. Was he being silly, and trying to find Five for no real reason. He would see them tomorrow. He thought about turning around.

   “Sam?” It was a familiar voice. In fact, it was the very voice he had been looking for. “I was just coming from the com shack. I saw your chair flipped over and your stuff all over the place…..” Five looked over their shoulder towards the com shack and then back at Sam. “You know, more than usual. What’s going on?”

   Sam was surprised that Five had been concerned about him at the same time he had been concerned about them. “It’s nothing. I just….” Sam trailed off, not wanting to reveal what had sent him stumbling out into the night. He tried for a quick change of subject instead of answering Five’s query. “Why were you looking for me, Five?”

   “I was hoping to talk to you about something actually.” Five said, softly. They stepped into the moonlight and Sam quickly noticed that they were covered in a fine layer of dirt, fingernails caked in grime, leaves and small sticks caught in their hair. It was almost as if they had been running through the woods, but that was impossible at this late hour. Five took a step forward and that was when Sam noticed that their eyes were slowly changing color, going from a dark brown to a cold blue grey.

   "F…F….Five!” Sam stammered as he started to shuffle backwards, trying to put as much space between himself and his runner as he possibly could. “Have you been bitten? We need to get you to the doc.”              

   Five just laughed, seeming to enjoy his distress. “Bitten? I am assuming that you mean by zombies.“ Their eyes narrowed as they moved forward. Sam was preparing himself to run but this was Five. He couldn’t imagine a scenario where they would willingly hurt him. “I haven’t been bitten by zombies. In fact, zombies can’t hurt me at all. It’s an advantage to my condition. Didn’t you ever wonder about all those miraculous escapes? How they were possible?”

   Sam couldn’t believe what he was hearing and hoped that he was dreaming again. He has been pinching the skin on the back of his hand for several minutes but it was no use. He was awake and something was seriously wrong with his best runner. “I don’t know what wrong with you Five. I don’t know what any of this means but please just let me help you.”

   Five just stalked forward, looking more like a predatory animal than ever before. “You know Sam, you have always been my favorite. Someone I could always…..”

   Sam didn’t wait for Five to finish whatever it was they were going to say. He turned on his heel and took off running, full tilt, back to the com shack. It would be easy to barricade himself inside, safe from Five and whatever was happening. Janine would know how to sort this all out. At the moment, it was his only hope.

   He wasn't used to running and it wasn’t long before fatigue started to set in. Five could outrun him and anyone else in the township easily. This wasn’t going to be much of a contest if they were intent upon catching up with him. As Five drew closer, it became easier to hear each footfall. Something was different. Each step came way too fast and too often and there was a wildness to it all. A weird talent Sam had honed over time was being able to differentiate each of his runners by the sounds of their feet striking the ground, how they moved and how they breathed. Five always sounded the same, hardly any variation. They were steady but with a small bounce accompanying each step. They were most comfortable when they ran. Sam had always been able to hear that within each footstep. Even when there was trouble Five couldn’t be shaken. There was never any panic or uncertainty, not as far as Sam could tell. He was sure that whomever was chasing him now was no longer Runner Five.

   Off in the distance Sam could hear something strange. Not the moan of zombies but the howl of wolves. It was something he had never heard before and Sam was fairly certain that it was impossible. There were no wolves near Abel. Sam’s brain was trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together for him, forcing him to acknowledge what was staring him in the face. He refused to believe it. None of this was possible. Sam turned to look behind him. He needed to know where Five was. It turned out to be a mistake and he felt himself lurching forward, his feet going out from under him as he stumbled into the dirt.

   “Five!” Sam called out into the darkness. He rubbed his eyes, now filled with fine particles of dirt and grit. His vision was cloudy and that made his situation even more precarious. When he tripped it seemed as though everything went suddenly silent. He was keenly aware that he was no longer being pursued. Sam slowly rose to his feet. Had he imagined it all? “Alright Five…..you got me….” There was uncertainty in his voice because Five didn’t seem like the type to play jokes or fool around. In fact, since arriving they had mostly kept to themselves. It had taken weeks of careful work to get them to open up at all and Sam suspected that there was still quite a bit they kept hidden.

   The coms shack was so close. The lights were still on, promising safety. It was such a short distance but, at the moment, it felt miles away. Sam cautiously took a step forward, his foot crunching on dead leaves and gravel. Every small sound seemed magnified, broadcasting his location to whatever had been chasing him. Sam kept moving slowly, hoping that it would keep him safe but it wasn’t long before he heard a soft growl coming from behind him. He hadn’t escaped, not even close. Sam knew that he had two options, be attacked from behind or face this threat head on. Sam chose to turn around.

   Sitting, looking up at him with the same blue grey eyes he had seen in Five’s face moments earlier, was a large grey wolf. Was it smiling at him? Whatever it was doing it looked completely satisfied with itself. There was no need for it to come any closer. Even if Sam ran he would be caught, there was no question. “F…Five?” Sam stammered “That can’t be you….” The animal just tiled its head to the side, its ears perking up. Was that a yes? “You’re Five….. aren’t you.”

   The wolf rose to its feet and began stalking forward slowly, muscles moving fluidly and eyes locked right on Sam. Instinctively, like any prey would, Sam began to move backward. In the end, it was all pointless. Five lunged forward smashing into Sam and knocking him to the ground. There was a scream as Sam felt teeth sink into his forearm. They locked eyes for a moment. Sam’s full of panic and Five’s full of calm resolve. The attack only lasted for a few moments, but to Sam it felt like an eternity and just as suddenly as it started it stopped. Five let go of Sam and backed away, leaving him bloody and confused. Clearly, the intent wasn’t to kill him.

   Five watched as Sam inspected the wound it was deep and already bleeding heavily. Sam and Five just stared at each other. “Why did you bite me?” Sam asked, clearly exasperated “You didn’t have to…..” but his sentence was cut short. Sam collapsed as a deep burning sensation began to spread outward from the bite to the rest of his body. He screamed in agony. Five trotted back towards him and laid their body against the length of his. They knew how hard this would be. After all, they he had gone through it themselves but it had made them stronger, faster, and better. They would wait it out together because Five owed Sam that much. They had always had a simpatico, after all……

 

 

EPILOUGE

             

   “You knew the rules Sam” Jack, said still laughing “One story each, starring only residents of Abel. You aren’t allowed to complain.”

   “I’m not complaining.” Sam answered back. “I just don’t see why it had to be me and Five.” He crossed his arms over his chest, clearly pouting. Jack teased him all the time about Five being his favorite runner. It was insulting and it seemed that the more he denied it, the worse the rumors got.

   “Five’s not even here.” Jody offered, optimistically.

   “Probably off mapping out safe running routes with Janine or something. You worry too much Sam. Nobody’s going to tell them.” Simon clapped a hand on Sam’s shoulder, giving him a little shake. Everyone was rising to the feet in order to leave. It was late and time to call it a night. “Complainers douse the fire….”

   Sam was the last one to leave the fire pit. He walked back to his coms shack slowly letting his mind wander. In fact, he was so deep in thought they he didn’t hear Five come up behind him. His response to their hello was a loud scream. Five jumped back, a look of shock on their face. “Did I scare you Sam?” Five said, quietly. “Or has your imagination just run away with you tonight?”

   He looked at Five stupidly, unable to find his voice. In the end all Sam was able to get out was a “huh?”.

   Five rolled their eyes and sighed. “Halloween Sam….. It’s Halloween. Did you forget? Of all the people in Abel I figured that you would remember. You seem into all that stuff. Demons and Darkness and all that. I thought a whole bunch you were getting together to play tonight. Weren’t you just there? I saw the fire. At least, I thought that I did.”

   “No….we…. I mean…. Yeah… I was there with everyone….” Sam couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him. It took several moments for his brain to produce a coherent sentence. “Where were you?”

   “Perimeter check. Janine asked for volunteers a few days ago. I told her that I would do it and not to bother any of the other runners.” Five just shrugged as they swung their knapsack around their body. After a quick unzip and a few moments of digging around Five produced a small jar. “Happy Halloween Sam” They said as they handed a small jar of marmite over. “You can take it. I won’t even make you say trick or treat. I traded for it fair and square.”

   “Thanks Five” Sam said, as he felt his face turn a deep shade of red. He reached out to grab the small jar but at the last moment Five tossed it in his direction.

   “That look on your face Sam……” Five said with a small laugh. “You’re looking at me as if I’m going to bite you….” Five just shrugged and turned to walk away. Sam just watched, thinking that it was better not to follow. Just before they were out of earshot Five looked at Sam over their shoulder, a particularly mischievous grin on their face. “It not like it’s a full moon or anything....."


End file.
